JUDGE SENTENCES THREE FROM AREA

U.S. District Judge Rodney Sippel has handed down sentences for three area defendants.

Sippel Tuesday sentenced Shone Yarber, 26, of Sikeston, Mo., to more than 11 years of prison on two felony counts of distributing 5 or more grams of crack cocaine.

Yarber was accused of making sales of crack to a police informant in September 1999 and November 1999.

"The sentence is reflective of how serious crack cocaine trafficking is taken by federal law," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Paul Hahn, who prosecuted the case.

Distributing more than 5 grams of crack carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years.

Robert Madison, 22, of Sikeston pleaded guilty to a felony count of being a previously convicted felon in possession of a firearm.

In July 1999, Scott County sheriff's deputies searched Madison's Sikeston residence and found drug paraphernalia, marijuana, cocaine and a Chinese semiautomatic SKS rifle.

In November 1996, Madison had been convicted of felony possession of a controlled substance.

Sentencing has been set for April. Madison faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Chop shop operation

Virgil Smith, 48, of Poplar Bluff, Mo., was sentenced to a year in prison without the possibility of parole for operating an automobile chop shop in his home.

Four years ago, police searched Smith's residence and uncovered a stockpile of at least 10 stolen vehicles or parts from stolen vehicles. In September, Smith pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking stolen auto parts.

Federal prosecutor Mike Price explained the long delay from the raid on Smith's residence to Tuesday's sentencing was caused by the difficulty in tracing stolen auto parts back to their owners.

"It took a while to track down the victims," Price said, crediting Sgt. Gary DeArman for his work in determining who lost property.

Because Smith transported some of the parts across the Missouri-Arkansas border, the violations moved from state to federal jurisdiction.

"This is the type of case that is sometimes handled at the state level," Price explained, "but once we determined we were talking about an interstate crime here, we elected to take it to the federal level."

In addition to his prison sentence, Smith was ordered to pay restitution for the stolen property, $48,863.